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Flight Deck

Wet winter weather leaves you wanting a warm bowl of homemade soup. So taking a reader suggestion, I headed to the Salem Airport to try out Flight Deck. It's located one driveway south of the main terminal on 25th street. Look for the pole sign on the west side of the road. The sign as you walk in says "seat yourself," but the restaurant was so busy that the server asked us to hold on a second. Most of the tables were full with locals and travelers waiting for their chartered flights. It didn't take long to get a table next to the huge window with a view of the tarmac. I've always enjoyed watching airport activity so this made for nice lunch conversation with my family. There's a helicopter school at the airport and you can watch as students buzz over the runway. Now for the food. I ordered a bowl of clam chowder and a salad. The soup was not as rich with flavor as other chowders that I have eaten like Mo's, but it didn't feel heavy. Sometimes when people suggest things on this blog, my expectations get raised and when I actually try the food it's not as good as I hoped. This was one of those times. But it was still good enough to eat every last drop in the bowl. As I slurped the the final spoonfuls of soup, I noticed my son's hamburger from the kids meal. It looked fantastic. The patty was thick and juicy with grill marks perfectly burned into it. That is the sign of a chef with a lot of patience and good timing. Next time I will have to try one of these burgers with the thick cut french fries. So much for eating light. For the atmosphere and friendly service, Flight Deck is worth a try. I know I'll find other things on the menu I'll like better than the chowder even if I have to order off the kid's menu. Salem Airport does have a commercial flight that flies between here and Salt Lake City a couple of times a day. This flight takes off and lands between noon and 1pm everyday except Tuesday and Saturday. Otherwise most of the air traffic is fixed wing airplanes and small jets.

9 comments:

'laina
said...

I've never been to the Flight Deck, and I know you just reviewed them, but I think Johnathan's still has the best clam chowder around. It's not as thick as Mo's, but it is crazy with flavor. I even order it to go when I want soup in the comfort of my home. Yum

I totally agree that overall the Flight Deck is a great choice for good food, a comfortable place and the entertainment available with watching planes and helicopters take off and land. The soups are terrific, my favorite is the tomato basil (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....) and the homemade chicken noodle! My daughter loves going for breakfast and watching the planes take off and land and getting her custom character pancakes!! Creative and fun!